It has long been known to provide warning devices at construction sites, road hazards, etc. in an effort to call the public's attention as they pass thereby to the fact that a possible hazardous condition exists at that particular location. The function of such warning devices obviously is to prevent people from being injured and/or property from being damaged as a result of their coming into contact with the source of danger. One of the various forms of warning devices which is often employed in this connection is barricades. The latter which are commonly made from either wood or metal are generally of relatively large size. Accordingly, such barriers normally are capable of being readily seen during daylight hours by an approaching pedestrian, an approaching cyclist as well as by someone who may be in an approaching vehicle.
During times of impeded visibility such as at night, during periods of inclement weather, etc., however, it may become difficult to see such barricades. As a result, such barricades themselves may at times present a form of hazard. It has therefore become a common practice to mount some type of light in each barricade. In this connection, it has been found that a flashing light is generally more effective in calling someone's attention to the barricade than is a lamp which emits a continuous beam of light.
The form of flasher which presently seems to be most commonly employed for this purpose is a lamp which embodies therewithin its own self-contained power supply, and which is in appearance characterized by the fact that the lamp portion thereof which is generally circular in configuration is of a distinctive yellowish orange color. More specifically, this form of flasher lamp is basically of two-part construction comprising a lamp portion consisting of a bulb and a cover therefor made from a suitable translucent material thereby to permit light rays to pass therethrough, and a housing which functions as a support for the lamp portion and which houses therewithin the components of a self-contained power supply such as a battery. In addition, the housing of the flasher lamp generally is provided with some form of attaching means operable for purposes of attaching the flasher lamp to an external support member such as a barricade. Inasmuch as the flasher lamp is primarily intended to be empoyed outdoors, suitable sealing means are embodied therein to provide the flasher lamp with a watertight construction and one which is capable of providing a relatively long operating life notwithstanding its exposure for extended periods to different types of weather conditions. The aforedescribed form of flasher lamp has proven in practice to be capable of providing dependable service with a minimum need under normal operating conditions for maintenance to be provided thereto.
However, such flasher lamps when they are placed in actual use for purposes of marking hazardous locations have proven susceptible to being stolen or to having serious damage done thereto as a result of acts of vandalism being performed thereon. As a result, it has become readily apparent that a need exists to provide the flasher lamp with some form of means capable of protecting the former from vandalism and from damage as a result of either the barricade being struck and knocked down or the manhandling which is customary in construction activity. In addition, it is also desirable to provide some means which is operable for purposes of preventing the theft of the flasher lamps which are quite valuable. At the same time, provision must still be made to enable access to be had to the flasher lamp for purposes of enabling the replacement of battery or bulb, or to permit repairs to be accomplished thereon.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved assembly consisting of an illuminating means operable as a warning device and of a protective cover therefor.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such an assembly of an illuminating means and a protective container therefor which also embodies mounting means operable for mounting the assembly to an external support member.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an assembly of an illuminating means and a protective container therefor wherein the protective container is operable for purposes of protecting the illuminating means from damage done as a result of vandalism, or from being struck and knocked down, etc. A further object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly of an illuminating means and a protective container therefor, the latter being operable to protect the illuminating means against theft.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly of an illuminating means and a protective container therefor wherein access is still capable of being had to the illuminating means to enable maintenance to be performed thereon and/or minor repairs to be made thereto.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly of an illuminating means and a protective container therefor which is easy to employ and is not readily susceptible to the effects of exposure to different types of weather conditions, yet is simple to assemble and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.